finola - 8 months!

Happy eight months, my joyful girl!

This month I got a taste of what life is like with two toddlers.  Wow - what a juggling act!  Our days together can be pretty exhausting, despite their sweetness.   One super-energetic and boisterous kid running wild in one direction, and one active baby moving and getting into mischief in the other.  You may not crawl like a normal babe (still scooting and dragging your legs along most of the time) but you sure can get where you wanna go fast.  You hate laying on your back even more now, so you are constantly rolling away from me.  Sometimes when I am trying to dress you I feel like I have to wrestle the clothes on you.  

Sometimes you'll play by yourself quite independently with an array of toys in front of you.

Other times it is like I have a homing device on me, and no matter where I am you will scoot until you get to me and I pick you up for snuggles.

You will now go in for the "open-mouthed drooly French" when I ask "Kisses?" 

Holding you upside down sends you into peels of laughter.

You are extremely ticklish.

You are fun.

You are predictable.

You are a mama's girl.

I am loving that.  

Personality:

We are getting to see a little more spunk from you.  This month you started babbling a LOT more.  You make noises like, "Hey Ya!" and "DADADADADA!"  You like to give high fives and sometimes if you don't feel like snuggling to my chest right before bedtime you will try to distract me by laughing and whacking me repeatedly in the face.  You are constantly trying to grab things away from your brother or just plain grab at him.  Now that you can climb and pull up on things you are not content being on the floor.  You MUST stand.  Getting you dressed is literally impossible.  That would require sitting still - which you do not want to do.  At all.

Likes:

high fives, crawling to and climbing up on mama, puffs, trying to eat paper...and books.

Dislikes:

Getting dressed.  Being in the car too long.  Laying down.  

colbie's tail can provide endless entertainment

Mama feels:

Quite happy being 100% done breastfeeding. Just after you turned seven months I started only feeding you at night, if even then, and just after Christmas, while in Minnesota, I stopped altogether.  After about  7 or 8 days I developed blocked milk ducts, which is absolutely no fun.  One cool thing -- I let you nurse one last time to relieve my intense pain.  That was our last official feeding, and while brief it definitely ended us on a positive note.  You kept looking at me in surprise  - then smiling.  And that is how I will always remember our breastfeeding experience together.

After that no more pain!

Now that I'm done the hormones are back in balance and my breasts, not gonna lie, feel normal again.  Haven't felt normal since I got pregnant over a year and a half ago so this is NICE.  

Sibling relations:

Let's just say you are starting to do things that might annoy your brother a bit.  Like crawling over to where he is and grabbing toys he is playing with.  Like playing with any of his toys, really.  Like crawling over when he is getting his diaper changed and grabbing his hair or accidentally scratching his face.  But I am pretty sure he still loves you to pieces.  He like to give you big hugs, especially now that you sort of stand.  If you are crying he will give up special toys to try to make you feel better.  

Eating:

• 100% formula now - and it must be HOT or you toss your bottle across the room
• looooooves rice cereal and oatmeal and fruit.  will spit out veggies most times.
• has nearly mastered the pincer grasp and will gobble up puffs like a champ
• 8oz for breakfast, 6oz for lunch, and 6oz for dinner...coupled with 1-2 servings of baby-friendly food at each meal.

                                   Sleeping:

Still taking two long naps (1 1/2 - 2 hrs) per day and sleeping from 6:30ish-6ish.  Well, with about one waking/feeding per night.  Slept through the night twice more this month - making a total of thrice.  We are ready to start letting her cry it out during the night.  Nine months we will do that part of the training.  

Health/Measurements:

Wears mostly 12 month clothing.  Weighs 20 pounds.  Actually enjoyed a few weeks recently with no cold/congestion.  Took you to a specialist about your turned out feet, but have to go back for x-rays.

Memories:

• Your first Christmas!!!!  That was the big one.
• Travelling to Minnesota to meet all your cousins and spend time with Gramma and Grampa.

Milestones/Development:

• can move from crawl to sitting position on own
• started pulling up on things to a standing position (but not yet cruising)
• climbs over and on lower objects -- mama in particular.
• using the pincer grasp to eat baby puffs

cannot decide on plank or down-dog.

the leg rolls.  my favorite rolls. 

mama's facial expressions?

a guttural yell in the jumperoo

during several days of mama/daughter time - was so nice!

ah your square baby butt just kills me.  seriously.

lovin' your time with pop-pop

hangin' out on gramma's window seat

amidst the chaos of all the older cousins you remained pretty calm and happy the whole time we were in mn

meeting your cousin selah - future cousin besties?

only three months apart!

(Here is Cormac's eight month post for comparison -- lot of the same stuff -- except he had more hair (or maybe just darker hair?) and fewer teeth.)

Another months of fun with you, Sister!  Only four months until you turn one?  WHAT???  I kind of want to cry just thinking about it.  The baby stage is fading fast.  Your mama is trying to savor it, and survive it, as best I can.

Love you so!

Mama + Dada